TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), JERA, expects U.S. Freeport LNG production will resume in mid-December, with its shipments expected to be fully back by March, President Satoshi Onoda said on Tuesday.
U.S. LNG company Freeport LNG said earlier this month it was targeting a mid-December restart for its Texas export plant, which has been shut for six months after a fire, pending regulatory approval.
JERA said in October it plans to book a 110 billion yen ($794 million) loss related to the Freeport LNG fire, mostly due to higher costs as it needed to buy alternative fuel from the soaring spot market.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Tom Hogue)